OPOS inherently shuns any kind of classification, rejects any label, and declines any definition. Therefore, it is difficult to describe it, to represent it with a limited number of written words.

 

OPOS is, first and foremost, an industrial building brought back to life in 1990 by Alberto Zanone, whose avant-garde and communal vision allowed it to immediately open up to a plural dimension of sharing and participation.

 

The history of OPOS has roots branching from the worlds of design, architecture, and art, extending to textiles and knitwear. But the undefined nature of this place has inexorably led it to embrace other disciplines and forms of art in its design.

 

Beyond being a physical space, OPOS is above all a metaphysical place. It has been described as a workshop of ideas and has been and will be the forge of numerous projects. A place of realization, of concreteness, but also of pure abstraction. Here, eccentric nonconformity and tireless curiosity are favored, categorically rejecting the fleeting trends of society to project into a timeless dimension. It is a space where the freedom to create unusual associations predominates, generating short circuits, embarking on unpredictable paths, or letting the flows of thoughts run, even irrationally.

 

OPOS is a community, the ensemble of people who have crossed it in the past, who are crossing it now, and who will cross it in the future.

 

OPOS is all this and above all it is the research, passion, and care of those who believe in and participate in this project.

 

The Story

 

The story of OPOS begins in the second half of the 1980s when Alberto Zanone, an entrepreneur and designer in the knitwear field, used to ride his Vespa through the suburbs of Milan. One day, while crossing the Certosa neighborhood, he came across a building with a “for sale” sign. He entered through a half-open door and was struck by the space he found inside.

 

Sensitive to the beauty of Biella’s industrial archaeology, his hometown, Alberto did not let the opportunity slip away and bought the property in 1987. The building dated back to the early 20th century, an abandoned former electrical terminal factory for about fifteen years. With his friend, architect Pia Karin Spreafico, they began the long and difficult renovation work, which lasted three years.
When the building was ready in 1990, Alberto moved his Zanone business there, and in 1991, the first OPOS projects started.

 

Alberto and his artist friend Roberto Cesaretti, interested in experimentation and research in architecture and design, immediately thought of young people and launched a pioneering idea: a competition for designers under 35, held in conjunction with the Salone Del Mobile, thus anticipating the SaloneSatellite by several years. After a careful selection of the various applications by a scientific committee, the projects of the most promising young designers were chosen and presented. Some were put into production by industry companies, such as the Erbale planter by Becchelli, Bortolani, and Maffei produced by Driade (1996) and the The Fly pushpins by Donata Paruccini produced by Alessi (2001). Others won awards, such as Lorenzo Damiani’s Packlight, which won the title of Best Young Project at the Compasso d’Oro in 1998. This activity continued from 1991 until 2002. Subsequently, thematic exhibitions were conceived, such as (clan)destino (2001), Acqua (2003), NEW AGRIculture (2004), and experimental and research projects, starting collaborations with companies and institutions.

 

In these years, the true identity of OPOS has emerged: a space reluctant to embrace the purely commercial logic of production, favoring innovation in its even abstract dimension, promoting research, and looking towards avant-garde and sustainability horizons.

 

Proof of this is the intrinsically linked project to OPOS, asap – as sustainable as possible, which since 2007 has been dedicated to exploring issues related to “ethical consumption” and “sustainable consumption” in the textile and clothing sector.

 

Since 2003, the Zanone brand has been sold to third parties, and OPOS has been rented to those who took over the brand. Since 2019, the space has been managed again by Alberto to bring it back to its original purpose. Unfortunately, Covid forced the reopening to be postponed, which was delayed until December 2021 with the presentation event of the NONNO project. The official programming of activities resumed only in March 2024 with a renewed program but always faithful to its identity.

 

The rest of the story will unfold over time…